Infantino Defies Calls to Quit After FIFA Rights Plan Collapse
(MENAFN) FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared he still has the support of the “vast, vast majority” of world football, brushing aside questions over whether he had considered stepping down after a contentious plan to hand part of FIFA’s commercial rights to a private investment firm fell apart.
Speaking to a British broadcaster on Saturday, Infantino was defiant about his standing and defended how he handles disputes inside the sport’s governing body.
“There is nothing bad in disagreeing,” he said. “We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to have different points of view, but then we need to be able to move on.”
Pressure on Infantino to resign built two months ago over the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. Under the plan, a new commercial entity would have transferred a share of FIFA’s commercial rights, including those tied to competitions such as the World Cup, to a private investment firm.
The scheme was scrapped within days of its details surfacing, drawing criticism from several confederation presidents and leading European leagues. In September, the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A demanded “fundamental” reform of FIFA, accusing it of concentrating excessive regulatory, commercial and political power in the presidency.
Infantino apologized to the FIFA Council at its Oct. 15 meeting in Zurich for errors in how the proposal was communicated and how consultation was handled. The session, which ran three and a half hours, was the council’s first since the FFE plan became public.
English Football Association Chair Debbie Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice president, said several questions remained unanswered even after the “most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting” she had experienced.
Ties between Infantino and some former critics have nonetheless improved. On Friday, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa pledged the AFC’s backing for Infantino’s bid for another term, a sign of reconciliation after the FFE dispute.
In August, Sheikh Salman had joined the heads of UEFA and CONCACAF in condemning the proposal, with the three confederation presidents calling it a “fundamental breach of trust.” The AFC president said the two sides have since reached an understanding and are ready to move on.
“We need to move forward. And we believe football is strongest when we work together with a shared vision and a common purpose,” he said.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is running for another term in the election set for March 2027.
Speaking to a British broadcaster on Saturday, Infantino was defiant about his standing and defended how he handles disputes inside the sport’s governing body.
“There is nothing bad in disagreeing,” he said. “We see it every day in so many countries in the world. It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to have different points of view, but then we need to be able to move on.”
Pressure on Infantino to resign built two months ago over the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. Under the plan, a new commercial entity would have transferred a share of FIFA’s commercial rights, including those tied to competitions such as the World Cup, to a private investment firm.
The scheme was scrapped within days of its details surfacing, drawing criticism from several confederation presidents and leading European leagues. In September, the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A demanded “fundamental” reform of FIFA, accusing it of concentrating excessive regulatory, commercial and political power in the presidency.
Infantino apologized to the FIFA Council at its Oct. 15 meeting in Zurich for errors in how the proposal was communicated and how consultation was handled. The session, which ran three and a half hours, was the council’s first since the FFE plan became public.
English Football Association Chair Debbie Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice president, said several questions remained unanswered even after the “most robust, most frank, most open Council meeting” she had experienced.
Ties between Infantino and some former critics have nonetheless improved. On Friday, Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa pledged the AFC’s backing for Infantino’s bid for another term, a sign of reconciliation after the FFE dispute.
In August, Sheikh Salman had joined the heads of UEFA and CONCACAF in condemning the proposal, with the three confederation presidents calling it a “fundamental breach of trust.” The AFC president said the two sides have since reached an understanding and are ready to move on.
“We need to move forward. And we believe football is strongest when we work together with a shared vision and a common purpose,” he said.
Infantino has led FIFA since 2016 and is running for another term in the election set for March 2027.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Comments
No comment